The technology blog of Neil Thompson

A while back I wrote about what I described as “One of the most amazing websites” I had seen and it was great. Placeit allows you to create screen mockups by uploading a screenshot that is then rendered into a chosen device. Unfortunately when I went back recently the prices had sky rocketed. To download even the most basic image now costs $8 a pop and a “casual” plan is $29 a month. For someone that uses the service about once a year that was prohibitively expensive.

I should state at this point that I have absolutely no issue with a software developer charging for their work, in fact I would say that was pretty essential, however, the amount I am willing to pay has to be in proportion to the value that I think that I will get. In this case the service didn’t meet that threshold. So I went to look for an alternative solution.

I could learn to use Photoshop which can do these in a breeze but, of course, it costs a fortune to get. Then I discovered Insta Mockup for iOS which is a free app that has a number of templates that you can use to create good looking screen mockups, such as the one below. It is easy to use and while doesn’t have the range of device mockups that Placeit has it is cost effective. You can download a low-res version of an image for free or upgrade and get higher resolution for only £1.49. It’s a bargain and works well.